Safer lithium therapy (7th December 2009)
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published new guidance for NHS and independent healthcare organisations to improve the safety of lithium therapy.
The Patient Safety Alert calls on frontline services to ensure that patients who are prescribed lithium are monitored in accordance with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
In addition, the Patient Safety Alert is calling on healthcare providers to ensure that:
There are reliable systems in place to make sure that the results of blood tests are communicated between laboratories and prescribers;
Patient Information Pack
The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published new guidance for NHS and independent healthcare organisations to improve the safety of lithium therapy.
The Patient Safety Alert calls on frontline services to ensure that patients who are prescribed lithium are monitored in accordance with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
In addition, the Patient Safety Alert is calling on healthcare providers to ensure that:
There are reliable systems in place to make sure that the results of blood tests are communicated between laboratories and prescribers;
- At the start of lithium therapy, and throughout their treatment, patients receive appropriate ongoing verbal and written information and a record book to track lithium blood levels and relevant clinical tests;
- Prescribers and pharmacists check that blood tests are being monitored regularly and that it is safe to issue a repeat prescription or dispense the prescribed lithium;
- Systems are in place to identify and deal with medicines that might adversely interact with lithium therapy.
Patient Information Pack
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